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The J League campaign continues this week and will see Sanfrecce Hiroshima host Cerezo Osaka at the EDION Stadium on Saturday.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima have found good form after a poor start to the season. They beat Nagoya Grampus 1-0 in their last league game, with Gakuto Notsuda scoring the winner with his first goal of the season.
The Viola have picked up 24 points from 15 games this season and sit seventh in the league table. They will be looking to continue their good run as they push for the continental spots.
Cerezo Osaka are in strong form as well. They picked up a hard-fought 2-0 away victory over Shonan Bellmare in their last league outing before beating the same opponents 5-1 on aggregate in the playoff rounds of the J League Cup last weekend.
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Cerezo Osaka sit two places and two points above their weekend hosts in the league table, although they have played one game more and will be looking to widen that gap on Saturday.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Cerezo Osaka Head-to-Head
There have been 27 meetings between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Cerezo Osaka. Both sides have won 11 games apiece while their other five matchups have ended in draws.
The two sides last faced off in a league clash last season, with Cerezo Osaka winning 1-0.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Form Guide: W-W-D-W-L
Cerezo Osaka Form Guide: W-W-W-L-W
Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Cerezo Osaka Team News
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
The home side will be without the services of Ezequiel and Shun Ayukawa this weekend as both men are injured.
Injured: Ezequiel, Shun Ayukawa
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Cerezo Osaka
Ryosuke Yamanaka came off injured last time out and is not expected to play this weekend. Yusuke Maruhashi and Takashi Inui are both injured and will also miss out, while Ryuya Nishio is a doubt for this one.
Injured: Yusuke Maruhashi, Ryosuke Yamanaka, Takashi Inui
Doubtful: Ryuya Nishio
Suspended: None
Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Cerezo Osaka Predicted XI
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Predicted XI (3-3-2-2): Keisuke Osako; Sho Sasaki, Hayato Araki, Tsukasa Shiotani; Yoshifumi Kashiwa, Gakuto Notsuda, Tomoya Fujii; Kosei Shibas, Makoto Mitsuta; Junior Santos, Nassim Ben Khalifa
Cerezo Osaka Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Jin Hyeon Kim; Riku Matsuda, Koji Toriumi, Matej Jonjic, Kakeru Funaki; Riki Harakawa, Hiroaki Okuno; Seiya Maikuma, Hiroshi Kiyotake, Jean Patrick; Adam Taggart
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Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Cerezo Osaka Prediction
Sanfrecce Hiroshima are on a five-game unbeaten run across all competitions and have lost just one of their last eight. They have one of the best home records in the league this season and will fancy their chances ahead of their weekend game.
Cerezo Osaka have won their last six games on the bounce and are unbeaten in their last seven. They hold the best away record in the J League this season and should be able to earn a point on Saturday.
Prediction: Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-1 Cerezo Osaka
